Randy Klein
05-06-2007, 8:35 AM
I'm ready to start using some nicer hand planes than the Home Depot specials I have right now.
I have the necessary power tools to do all my milling and joinery, so my intended use of these planes would be for final surface preparation, i.e. instead of sanding.
But I'm unsure of what planes I need to start out with. I've been doing lots of reading and I've come to the following conclusions:
A block plane, a bench plane, and a scraper are necessary to cover the gamut of situations
You need a variety of bevel angles
Low angle good for end-grain
High angle good for figured wood
Normal angle good for the rest
So get a low-angle (bevel-up) design and if a higher angle is needed, use an iron with a larger bevel angle (Veritas offers different bevel angle irons for their bevel up planes).So I was thinking of the following set:
Block Plane:
Veritas Low Angle Block Plane: http://tinyurl.com/34pkog
Bench Plane:
Veritas Bevel Up Smoother Plane: http://tinyurl.com/24n6xp
Scraper:
Veritas Cabinet Scraper (similar to a #80): http://tinyurl.com/2x6zbn
I already have some card scrapersSo, does anyone have any comments on my conclusions or my choice of planes? Particularly:
Is my bevel-up assessment good? Or am I missing something about the bevel-down design that is superior to the bevel-up?
Do I need more than one bench plane or will the smoother be enough since this is for final surface preparation only?
And how slippery is this slope I keep hearing about?Thanks in advance.
I have the necessary power tools to do all my milling and joinery, so my intended use of these planes would be for final surface preparation, i.e. instead of sanding.
But I'm unsure of what planes I need to start out with. I've been doing lots of reading and I've come to the following conclusions:
A block plane, a bench plane, and a scraper are necessary to cover the gamut of situations
You need a variety of bevel angles
Low angle good for end-grain
High angle good for figured wood
Normal angle good for the rest
So get a low-angle (bevel-up) design and if a higher angle is needed, use an iron with a larger bevel angle (Veritas offers different bevel angle irons for their bevel up planes).So I was thinking of the following set:
Block Plane:
Veritas Low Angle Block Plane: http://tinyurl.com/34pkog
Bench Plane:
Veritas Bevel Up Smoother Plane: http://tinyurl.com/24n6xp
Scraper:
Veritas Cabinet Scraper (similar to a #80): http://tinyurl.com/2x6zbn
I already have some card scrapersSo, does anyone have any comments on my conclusions or my choice of planes? Particularly:
Is my bevel-up assessment good? Or am I missing something about the bevel-down design that is superior to the bevel-up?
Do I need more than one bench plane or will the smoother be enough since this is for final surface preparation only?
And how slippery is this slope I keep hearing about?Thanks in advance.